


Nightmares

by VideoDame



Series: Signe's Shortstories [2]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Backstory, F/M, Nightmares, Sleep Shouting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-29 06:34:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14467047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VideoDame/pseuds/VideoDame
Summary: Signe has a nightmare, which prompts Teldryn to ask about it.





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Another little backstory fic. Again, my work is un-beta'd, so pardon any errors.  
> My tumblr is aph-wisconsin, and my art blog is knight-owl-arts!

_Yol._

_Yol._

"..ne-"

_Yol._

_Nii ag._

_Yol._

"..gne. Sig-!"

_Yol._

_YOL._

_NII AG._

_YOL-_

"Signe!"

Teldryn's paniked hiss rips her out of the dream, and throws her back into reality. Her body lurches in panic, and her lungs force her to cough out smoke that isnt there. Trying to regain her breath, she sits up and pounds her chest in a futile attempt to get out what isn't there.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, you're okay." Teldryn's voice speaks in her ear again, and she feels a firm hand on her shoulder, squeezing in reassurance. Gods, where would she be without Teldryn.

Calming down a bit, she rubs her eyes from the sudden brightness of the aurora above them. Thats right, they're somewhere in The Reach; camped outside of an old Dwemer ruin that they had planned to delve into int he morning. They're not in The Rift, theres no fire. No fire, no screams, no death.

Taking a deep breath, glad her lungs were cooperating now, Signe speaks. "Sorry, uh...bad dream."

Teldryn scoffs. "I'll say, you we're thrashing about and grumbling things in a different language. I was going to let you be, that is until you Shouted fire into the sky."

Shouted? In her sleep? Oh, that's new.

The Nord woman's eyebrows shoot up, and she moves onto her knees, almost ready to spring into action. "Are you okay? I didn't set anything on fire, did I?"

The Dunmer shakes his head, she grip still solid on her, "No, no. Like I said, you Shouted into the sky. Scared me half to death, I nearly jumped all the way back to Solsthiem."

Signe breathes a sigh of relief, and chuckles at her friend. Not a day goes by where she didn't appreciate Teldryn traveling with her, the dark elf was a good mix of serious and comical. The two had been traveling for a month or two now, after she had let him go in order to fight Alduin; Teldryn had been hesitant to let her go alone, but she insisted he head back to Raven Rock where he was safer. The Nord told him that if she didn't retun in a few days, then to consider her a lost cause. Low and behold, when the woman pushed the doors open to the Reching Netch three days later, Teldryn had been to relieved to have her back and in one piece that he was the one to ask to join her again. At no cost. The two were insepratable since.

She relaxes back into her sitting position, and was about to offer to take the night watch and let Teldryn sleep when the man speaks up.

"If you don't mind me asking...what in Oblivion were you dreaming about that made you Shout fire into the air?"

Her eyes caught his, and blue stared into red. Dunmer always did have pretty eyes.

"...It's was a nightmare, obviously. But this one was...my least favorite. I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else, you hear?"

  
"I've had nightmares before. Simple ones, like showing up to that peace counsil with the Greybeards naked. Then theres the horrid ones, like getting eaten alive by trolls, or being possesed by Daedric Princes. Nightmares are nightmares, so I never really thought too hard on them. But there's one I keep having, and I've been having it ever since Alduin's return.

It's about...what happened to my parents.

When I was young, I used to sneak out late at night to climb the birch trees of the Rift by our home and watch the aurora for a while. I liked it because I was sneaking out, like some rebellious teenager, but I wasn't doing anything bad. But in these dreams, I was an adult, like I am now.

One night I snuck out, and as I was watching the sky, I saw a dragon. Yes, a dragon, far before the time of their return. It flew overhead of me, and straight in the direction of my house. When I saw it land on the roof, I knew I had to go.

I fell out of the tree, and it hurt, but I couldn't stop. It's at this part the nightmare gets worse. I felt like I couldn't move fast enough, no matter how hard I was running. Usually this is where the nightmare would end, with me watching my parents burn while I struggle to run to them.

But these recent ones...I was able to make it to them. I'd run to them jsut as the dragon would open its maw to burn us to the ground, and I'd pull out my shield and sword. But...when I did, I realized my shield and sword weren't there. My armor, my bow, my potions, nothing. I was a child again, staring helpless at this gigantic dragon as the flames formed behind it's teeth.

But, I was okay with this ending. Because I knew, that instead of living my life knowing that if I had been there things would have been different -

\- I died alongside them, just as I should have."

 

  
Teldryn gazed at his patreon as she finished her story, the woman's eyes landing on the pile of cinders that once was a campire, and seeming to stare into nothing. It wasn't until his hand reaches forward to wipe the tear trails on her cheeks did she even realize she had been silently crying.

Signe snaps out of it, turning her head the other way to avoid contact. "Ah, sorry, it's not really all that interesting. I shouldn't bother you with my personal problems-"

The Nord woman was cut off when a strong pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, and a head was rested on her shoulder.

"Why didn't you say before?" Teldryn asked, voice unsusually soft, but still deep and rumbling.

Taking a deep breath, Signe rests her hands on the other's arms, laying her head back. "Like I said," she started, voice cracking, "I never wanted to bother anyone. Everyone goes through shit, I'm not the only one with relatives who dies at the maw of a dragon. I'm not the only orphan. I felt like if I shared it, it would only be brushed away." She chuckles, closing her eyes, "In Skyrim, death is common."

The Dunmer stayes quiet, and the both of them rest against each other for a while. As the sun began to peak over the horizon, and the sky lightened, Teldryn finally spoke up.

"Don't feel like you have to hide your problems from me, alright? We're friends, at least I think we are." That got a chuckle out of the woman, "There's a smile." He grins, releasing the other from his hold.

Signe takes the chance to turn around and pull Teldryn into a proper hug. "Thank you," she mumbles, resting her head on his shoulder, "I never told you just how glad I am to be traveling with you, Teldryn. There's no one out there quite like you, and I wouldn't trade you for the world."

Teldryn quickly wraps his arms around the woman when she embraced him, happy to oblige in the hug.

"I feel the same," he replies.

**Author's Note:**

> Dragon Tongue translations:  
> Yol = Fire  
> Nii ag = It burns


End file.
